Safety attachment for car-couplings.



PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

No. 755,816. I

' E. R. TRAMMELL.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR CAB. COUPLINGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 31, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

Guam;

' UNITED STATES Patented March 29, 1904.

ERASMUS R. TRAMMELL, OF LAKELAND, FLORIDA.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR CAR-COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 55,816, dated March 29, 1904.

Application filed August 31, 1903. Serial No. 171,398. (No model.)

To ctlZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERAsMUs R. TRAMMELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakeland, in the county of Polk and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My invention has relation to car-couplers, and more particularly to a safety attachment therefor designed to engage and securely hold one of the coupling members or draw-heads in cases where it becomes broken or separated from the car; and my invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, the preferred form whereof will be hereinafter clearly set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the prime object of my invention is to prevent one of the draw-heads if broken or separated from the car which carries it from falling upon the track, and thus proving a dangerous obstruction, resulting in derailment and consequent loss of life and property.

Other objects and advantages will be made clearly apparent from the following specification, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 shows a perspective view of my invention complete. Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof, partly in perspective. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of two of the couplers joined together and provided with my safety-bracket or holding device. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the preferred form of bracket designed to prevent the complementary draw-head from falling to the ground;

Referring to the numerals 0n the drawings, 1 indicates the draw-hadof the usual or any preferred construction, preferably having the form of a knuckle, (indicated by the numeral 2,) and when each draw-head is thus formed said knuckles will engageeach other in the usual manner and may be readily disengaged by swinging one of the draw-heads laterally,

as will be fully-understood, the supportingbar 3 being provided of sufficient length to permit the lateral movement of the draw-head. Each draw-head is also provided with the usual link opening or recess 4, adapted to receive the end of the link, which may be engaged by a locking-pin 5, said link'being desirable and useful in cases where the knuckles 2 become broken. Each of the draw-heads is provided with a lateral extension or swell 6, which is provided with the vertically-disposed aperture of proper size to receive the bolt 7, the said boltv being of sufficient length to extend slightly below the draw-head by which it is carried, and to the lower end thereof I secure in any preferred way the supporting-bracket 8, preferably in the form of a disk fitting on the end of said bolt and retained in place by the locking-nut 9. It will be understood that the position of the bracket 8 is such that it will be disposed immediately beneath the draw-head engaged by the draw-head carrying the bolt 7,whereby in cases where the opposite draw-head shall become disengaged from its car it will drop down upon the bracket 8 while still in engagement with the knuckle 2. The bracket 8 will therefore arrest farther downward movement of the disengaged or broken draw-head, and since the knuckles 2 will still be in engagement with each other the disengaged draw-head will be reliably held upon the bracket and prevented from falling to the trackway, and thus proving a dangerous obstruction.

It will be understood that the form of bracket herein illustrated may be varied, as desired, inasmuch as the bolt 7 may carry an inwardly-directed arm properly secured thereto, which will always lie in the path of the falling draw-head when broken or disengaged from the car carrying it. For cheapness and efiiciency, however, it is thought that the form of bracket 8 herein illustrated will prove amply suflicient to meet all requirements, and I therefore deem it unnecessay to illustrate another form or materialization thereof.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple though thoroughly efficient safety appliance which will immediately engage and hold a draw-head if it should become broken erture upon one side thereof, of abolt adapted to fit said aperture and extend below the drawhead; a disk-like bracket rotatably mounted upon the lower end of said bolt and means to adjust the position of the bracket thereon, substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERASMUS R. TRAMMELL.

Witnesses:

S. J. STONFORD, CHAS. M. TRAMMELL. 

